By Anne Marie Amacher
Youths from across the Diocese of Davenport collected money the weekend of Super Bowl Sunday that will benefit those who are hungry in their communities. They were participating in the national Souper Bowl of Caring event designed to “mobilize youth to fight hunger and poverty in their local communities,” according to the Souper Bowl of Caring Web site. Here are fundraising reports from parishes in the diocese that provided information about their Souper Bowl efforts:
• Our Lady of Lourdes Parish in Bettendorf collected $771.76 that will go to the Bettendorf Food Pantry along with 580 cans of food collected during Souper Bowl weekend. “We participate in this event because it is a national, advertised program that helps our local food banks that help our local citizens,” said Joyce Kloft, director of faith formation and youth minister at Lourdes.
• Our Lady of Victory Parish in Davenport included a service day during which confirmation students prepared soup, breads and cookies for the homebound. They delivered the meals with their parents. From 3-5 p.m. youth from throughout the deanery were invited to the Souper Bowl of Caring Bowling Extravaganza at Bowlmor, which raised $149 for Cafe on Vine and 91 cans to be delivered to the Sacred Heart Food Pantry in Davenport.
• As part of their Souper Bowl activities, some youths from St. Paul the Apostle Parish in Davenport edited and condensed a Prayer Service for Victims of Natural Disaster from the Catholic Relief Services Web site in response to the devastating earthquake that struck Haiti. “They knew they had to do something to help ensure that all the money and support going to Haiti gets to the right place,” said Ray Knight, youth minister. St. Paul youths also helped clean Project Renewal’s Treat House in Davenport and accompanied several Project Renewal participants to the Bettendorf YMCA for pizza, basketball and swimming. St. Paul youths also participated with other parishes from the Davenport Deanery in a Super Bowling Fundraiser for Cafe on Vine. Finally, the St. Paul students held a collection after Masses that generated about $400 for ServeHAITI and about $400 for Project Renewal.
• St. Mary Parish, Grinnell, collected $408.92, which will be donated to Kids Against Hunger. The St. Mary’s packing team will pack meals on Feb. 21.
• Cans of soup were collected at St. Wenceslaus Parish in Iowa City. The annual competition had parishioners donating a can of soup for the team they hoped to win the Super Bowl. Fifty-seven cans were collected for Father Michael Phillips’ New Orleans Saints and 62 cans for Pat King’s Indianapolis Colts. All cans were donated to the local food pantry.
• Youth from Our Lady of the River Parish in LeClaire collected $539. The Dohmen family collected money after Saturday night Mass and the Boy Scouts collected money after Sunday Mass in conjunction with Scout Sunday. Money will be donated to Father Conroy’s Vineyard of Hope. “I feel it is important for youth to get involved with serving the less fortunate at a young age. We regularly include our young people with our service at Cafe on Vine,” said Jennifer Hildebrand, the parish’s youth minister. “It has been wonderful to see how the young people have responded to these and other charitable efforts, such as the Haiti disaster relief effort. If there is a silver lining to this tragedy, it has been the response of the youth,” she added.
• Confirmation students at St. Alphonsus Parish in Mount Pleasant held soup pots after all Masses and collected $430 for the Fellowship Cup. That money will be used to help stock the food pantry and provide lunch to people in the community.
